Animorphs: The Movie
by SD
Summary: The Intro to a movie script for Animorphs


I started reading Animorph books pretty soon after they started being published. I always thought they would work really well on TV or as a movie. So about 2 years ago (probably summer 1997) I started writing a movie script that would follow the first Animorph Book, The Invasion. This was a year or more before the TV series on Nickelodeon started airing. 

Although most of it is exactly like the first book (which would be a boring read for those who have read book 1.), I did create some stuff at the beginning, kind of an intro to the movie. It's supposed to express the characters' personalities and their relationships prior to the incident at the construction site. That's the part I have here. SO here it is... 

THE ANIMORPHS: THE MOVIE 

Fade In We see a glittering starfield. From off screen we hear voices, five teenagers: 

JAKE: We can't tell you who we are. RACHEL: Or where we live. CASSIE: It's too risky, and we've got to be careful. MARCO: Really careful. TOBIAS: So we don't trust anyone. JAKE: Because if they find us... RACHEL: Well, we just won't let them find us. CASSIE: The thing you should know is... MARCO: Everyone is in really big trouble. TOBIAS: Yeah, even you. 

MAIN TITLE appears on screen 

Cut to: We see a bunk-bed, there appears to be someone in the bottom bunk with the blanket completely covering him. We hear a voice 

JAKE'S MOM (exasperated): Jake, get up! You have basketball try-outs today, so you better eat something before you leave. 

The blankets move slightly, but Jake says nothing 

JAKE'S MOM: Jake, do you hear me? Get out of bed now! 

She pulls back the covers to reveal Homer, the dog. She then grabs the blankets off the top bunk to reveal Jake, who moans and covers his eyes. 

JAKE'S MOM: What is Homer doing in your bed? You know it's a bad idea, what if he brought fleas in here? (She is interrupted by Tom) 

Cut to: Tom is standing in the doorway of the house. He has a high-school letterman's jacket on and is jiggling some keys. He looks very impatient. 

TOM (calling to Jake): Hey Midget, if you want a ride to school, you better get your butt out here! I'm leaving in ten minutes. 

Cut to: Jake jumps out of bed and starts to frantically get dressed. 

Cut to: We see a closet full of stylish clothes. 

Cut to: Rachel is standing in front of the closet trying to decide what to wear. She pushes the clothes around looking for something. 

RACHEL: Where IS that sweater? (yells) Jordan, where's my chenille sweater? 

JORDAN: As if I knew! I don't keep track of all your dumb clothes. 

Rachel growls under her breath. Jordan appears at the doorway of Rachel's room. 

JORDAN: You know, if you weren't so totally obsessed about how you look, it wouldn't matter what you wear. 

RACHEL: Well, maybe you should care about what you wear, you look like a model for the Salvation Army! 

We hear an off screen voice 

RACHEL's MOM: Girls! It's way too early in the morning to be fighting like that. Jordan, didn't you borrow that sweater when you went to your dad's house last weekend? 

JORDAN (blushing): Oh, yeah. Sorry. Rach, you can borrow some thing out of my closet, if you want. 

RACHEL: Yeah right. I'll let you know when I decide to try the "grunge" look, okay? Until then, keep your so-called "clothes" to yourself. 

Rachel grabs something out of the closet and shuts the door to her room. 

Cut to: We see a messy room. A boy is laying on an unmade bed reading a Star Trek comic. He glances at the clock on the nightstand and jumps up, scaring his cat, Dude, off the bed. He goes to the closet and digs through, pulling out clothes. 

cut to: The living room. Tobias's uncle is watching TV. Tobias walks in as his uncle flips the channel to a nature documentary. It shows some kind of raptor circling over a large field. 

TOBIAS: I wish that's all I had to do all day. Just fly around and do nothing. His uncle grunts and flips the channel again. Tobias walks out the front door. His uncle seems not to notice that he's left. Tobias leans back in and says: 

TOBIAS: I think I'll stop at the arcade after school today. 

His uncle grunts again and Tobias shuts the door. 

TOBIAS (to himself): Man, I hate my life. 

Cut to: We see gloved hands holding a bird. It is Cassie holding a red-tailed hawk still as her dad changes the bandages on his wing. 

CASSIE: Um, dad? Do you mind if I go to the mall with Rachel after school? She wants to show me the new pet store they just put in. 

CASSIE'S DAD (laughing): And no doubt try to convince you to visit The Gap too. 

CASSIE (laughs too): I'm sure, but I think she's wasting her time. I'm a hopeless slob. 

CASSIE'S DAD: I wouldn't say that, "fashion-impaired" maybe, but not a hopeless slob. 

Cassie laughs again. Her dad finishes the bandaging and they return the hawk to it's cage. Cassie pulls off her gloves. 

CASSIE: I should get going, I don't want to miss my bus. So, about the mall? 

CASSIE'S DAD: Sure, just do me a favor, don't cut through that construction site, OK? I know it's a shortcut to the bus stop, but (joking) I wouldn't want any "boogeymen" to get you. 

CASSIE (as she walks to the door): Don't worry dad, no boogeymen would dare mess with Slob Woman! 

Cut to: 

We see a TV screen showing "X-Men" cartoons. The view widens and we see Marco leaning back in an armchair watching TV while his dad lays snoring on the couch. Marco is eating Cheerios from a box and is tossing them into the air as he tries unsuccessfully to catch them in his mouth. Marco glances at a clock. MARCO: Uh, Dad? 

Marco's dad snores louder. 

MARCO: Dad! 

Marco's dad opens a bloodshot eye and lifts his head a bit 

MARCO's DAD: HMMMM? 

MARCO: Uh, I was wondering if you were planning on going to work today? It's 7:30. 

MARCO'S DAD: No, uh, don't think so. Had a really rough night. Didn't sleep much. 

MARCO: Yeah, well, I have to go catch the bus. Get some sleep, okay? 

Marco's dad is already snoring again. Marco turns off the TV and heads to the door. He stops in front of a framed picture on the wall. 

Cut to: Marco's view 

The picture shows Marco's family, his mom, dad, and himself. The three of them appear to be laughing. Marco's dad, still snoring on the couch, bears little resemblance to the jolly man in the picture, and Marco himself looks a lot more serious in real life. Marco sighs and walks out the door. 

Cut to: A school, lot's of kids going from the buses to the building. We see glimpses of the five Animorphs as they enter the school. 

Cut to: We hear a toilet flush... 

Fade in on: Tobias's head in a toilet with his hair swirling around the bowl. The scene widens to show two bigger boys holding him down. Jake enters the bathroom. 

JAKE: Hey! What are you doing? 

Bully 1: We're just messing with this dweeb. 

JAKE: Well, maybe you shouldn't. 

Jake steps up in front of the bullies, who release Tobias and appear to get ready to fight Jake. 

Bully 2: Okay, what's up then? 

Jake holds his ground. The bell rings and the bullies shove past Jake and walk out of the room. Tobias shoves his dripping hair out of his face, and tries to smile at Jake. Jake puts his hand on Tobias's shoulder, and they start toward the door. 

Cut to: A classroom full of students. The teacher is talking and Marco interrupts with a "smart" remark. The class laughs. Rachel and Cassie are sitting across the room near each other. Rachel mouths "smart alec" to Cassie, who nods and rolls her eyes. 

Cut to: 

End of school, students leaving the building. 

Cut to: 

The mall. Various shots of the five kids. Tobias at the comic book store Cassie and Rachel at the pet store Marco and Jake at Sports Authority Cassie and Rachel at The Gap 

Cut to: Jake and Marco at the arcade. The video game Marco and Jake are playing displays a "game over" message, and Marco groans. 

MARCO: Man! That was our last quarter! 

Tobias enters. 

TOBIAS: Hey guys. What's up? 

JAKE: Hi Tobias. Not much. We're heading home. 

MARCO: Out of quarters. CERTAIN PEOPLE keep losing the game and wasting our quarters. 

Marco looks pointedly at Jake. Jake shrugs off the insult. 

TOBIAS: So, maybe I'll walk home with you guys. 

Jake and Marco shrug, 

JAKE: Sure, Marco? 

MARCO: Why not? 

The three walk out of the arcade and head toward a nearby mall exit. Cassie and Rachel appear and join them. 

JAKE: You guys going home? (The girls nod) You shouldn't go through the construction site by yourselves. 

RACHEL (sarcastically): What, are we helpless, just 'cause we're girls? Are you going to come along and protect us, you big, strong, MAN? 

CASSIE (interrupting): I don't mind if you walk with us. 

MARCO: Great, let's go. 

The group leaves the mall, crosses the road and enters an abandoned looking construction site. 

(I'm not going to put the rest of it on here, because it follows the first Animorph book practically word for word.) 


End file.
